Before Nintendo revolutionized gaming with the Nintendo Entertainment System in the mid ’80s, Atari ruled the industry from the late ’70s until the early ’80s with the Atari 2600. Many younger gamers may not even be aware of this console’s existence, let alone its historical significance.
Many classic titles for the system established countless precedents most games still follow to this day. The Atari 2600 had a storied production, from dealing with hardware and the history surrounding its creation, rise, and downfall. Atari may not be the titan it once was, but the name will live on forever.
10 Atari’s Successor Consoles
While the Atari 2600 had an impressively long life, successors released in the mid ’80s. The Atari 5200 came out in 1982 while the 2600 was still riding high. Unfortunately, it did not fare as well as its predecessor. The lack of enthusiasm did not prevent Atari from releasing the Atari 7800 in 1987, which was marketed as a budget alternative.
9 The Fairchild Channel F Beat It To The Punch
When developing the Atari 2600, the company wanted a system which could play multiple games and support different types of graphics. Prior to this, consoles like The Odyssey lacked graphics, with the player putting overlays on their television screens. While their ambition was pure, another console beat them to the punch. The Fairchild Channel F came out in 1976 and used cartridges to play different games. It did not last as long as the 2600, however, ending production in 1983.
8 Its Original Name
Despite being known throughout history as the Atari 2600, this actually was not the original console’s name. Until 1982, the console was called the Atari VCS, or the Atari Video Computer System. Later consoles in the line would adapt this naming convention from the start, with the Atari 5200 and 7800. It’s a much less confusing format than modern consoles, where the third Xbox consoles is called the Xbox One.
7 It Was Discontinued In 1992
Sony often tries to make consoles last ten years, continuing their support even as the next-generation hardware hits shelves. This ambition is nothing compared to what the Atari 2600 accomplished.
First manufactured in 1977, production only shut down in 1992, well into the Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis’ life. As impressive as this is, a couple of consoles have it beat, like the Sega Master System which is still technically alive in Brazil.
6 The Atmosphere Among Developers Was Wild
The late ’70s and ’80s were notorious for the massive party scenes, and video games were a full part of this. In a recent Game Informer interview, Howard Scott Warshaw, creator of the E.T. game, described the atmosphere among developers as being populated by late night parties filled with drugs. It was a true work hard, party harder type of environment which fueled some of the most legendary video games of the era.
5 It Struggled Until 1980
The Atari 2600 had a hard time in its first several years on the market. Video games still were not normally accepted in the home and the two hundred dollar price tag was steep for the time. It was not until 1980 when the system really took off, helped by the a home port of Space Invaders, an immensely popular arcade game. While graphics obviously took a hit, it plays close enough to the original version.
4 Atari Did Not Credit Game Designers
Believe it or not, Atari did not credit its game designers. This was mostly done to prevent any one developer from becoming a hot commodity, making them more expensive to hire or perhaps risk them getting poached by other companies. This is what makes the easter egg in Adventure so special. After following a specific set of instructions, players encounter a special screen which simply says “Created by Warren Robinett.”
3 Activision’s Humble Beginnings
Not crediting the programmers was just one way Atari was disrespecting and mistreating the very people who made their games. Because of this, David Crane, Larry Kaplan, Alan Miller, and Bob Whitehead broke off from Atari and formed their own company, Activision.
They still developed for the Atari 2600, but they obviously expanded in later years and Activision is now one of the biggest publishers in the market. Even the biggest titans of the industry came from humble beginnings.
2 The Joystick
The joystick for the Atari 2600 was innovative for its simple and comfortable design. With just one stick and a button, it is easy to understand just by looking at it. Another curious aspect of the joystick was its ability to function with several other consoles. Players could play Commodore 64 games with it, which was more comfortable than the keyboard for a lot of titles. Adapters could also be used to make it work for the Apple II computer and other hardware.
1 The 6502
Before the 6502, similar microprocessors were costly, making a console like the Atari 2600 prohibitively expensive for the average household. However, MOS Technologies developed this 8-bit microprocessor, which was only twenty five dollars a piece, and Atari was able to buy them for twelve dollars a piece. The final version of the console would use the 6507 processor from the same company. Without this advance in tech at the right time, the console’s development would have been radically different, and perhaps even impossible.
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